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Insider’s Report: Elon Musk Is Now Targeting the Social Security Administration |
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Two weeks ago, federal workers — including employees of the Social Security Administration — received an email from |
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the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), offering “deferred resignation.” The email said employees could resign now and continue to receive pay and benefits through September — an offer of dubious legality that was immediately criticized by some lawmakers and labor unions representing federal workers. Last week a federal judge paused the federal employee “buyout” of federal employees. |
Two weeks ago, federal workers — including employees of the Social Security Administration — received an email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), offering “deferred resignation.” The email said employees could resign now and continue to receive pay and benefits through September — an offer of dubious legality that was immediately criticized by some lawmakers and labor unions representing federal workers. Last week a federal judge paused the federal employee “buyout” of federal employees. |
Seniors’ advocates, including the National Committee, are alarmed about the implications of a proposed “buyout” offer for employees of the Social Security Administration, which serves more than 68 million beneficiaries.
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“SSA was already underfunded and understaffed,” says Dan Adcock, National Committee Director of Government Relations & Policy. “This scheme by the administration will only exacerbate SSA’s existing problems. The agency currently does not have enough staff to meet beneficiaries’ needs — as is obvious from long hold times on SSA’s 1-800 phone number and interminable delays in hearing SSDI disability appeals.” |
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If the Trump administration is successful in culling the workforce at SSA, it will “take a sledgehammer to customer service,” says Adcock. He points out that many seniors are unable to conduct all of their business online and need direct contact with an SSA representative. "Bots replacing workers on the 800 phone line will not get the job done.” |
Seniors and people with disabilities rely on SSA for a multitude of services — including claiming benefits, submitting changes in benefit status and appealing benefit decisions, among other things. On top of its regular workload, SSA must now re-calculate benefits for some 3 million public sector retirees affected by the new Social Security Fairness Act. |
The agency announced that it may take up to one year for these workers to receive all of the payments to which they now are entitled under the new law. Advocates worry that this added workload may impede service for other current and future Social Security beneficiaries. (Some 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age every day.) |
The National Committee will continue to put pressure on lawmakers to fully fund the Social Security Administration and serve as a check on the executive branch’s power. |
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Sign Our Urgent Petition to Congress |
Billionaire Elon Musk has wasted no time using his sweeping power and influence on President Trump to reshape our federal government as he sees fit — and the National Committee is deeply concerned seniors’ earned benefits could get caught up in the chaos.
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Why does Musk need access to a system that holds your personal data, including your Social Security number and banking information, and cuts all the checks that our federal government issues? One possibility is that he wants to ensure our government finds enough “savings” to help pay for a massive extension of tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and huge profitable corporations.
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Aside from making recommendations on how to cut as much as $2 trillion from the federal budget through his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” Musk has demanded and received access to federal payment systems which include Social Security payments. This means that an unelected billionaire and his newly installed minions in the Treasury Department could stop payments for any federal program they dislike, including Social Security. |
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Ask Us! |
Whether you’re retired or approaching retirement, our team of experts in the field of Social Security policy is available to answer your questions about benefits.
You can either search our archives for valuable advice on a broad range of concerns or submit your question here. |
This week’s question is: Please advise if, after the death of a husband, the surviving wife is entitled to receive her deceased husband’s full benefit?. This was a recent discussion we had today with others. |
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Whether you’re currently retired or approaching retirement, we can help answer your questions and provide valuable advice on Social Security. |
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Your support sustains our campaigns in Washington to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. |
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Learn more about the Social Security program and the policies the National Committee supports that would strengthen your earned benefits. |
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Musk and his team "now have access to the personal information of every Social Security beneficiary — and the ability to stop payments for any federal programs they dislike," Max Richtman, CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, an advocacy group for the programs, said. (February 10, 2025, CBS News, Aimee Picchi) |
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"Social Security beneficiaries and their families have every reason to be alarmed by Elon Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s payment system," our CEO Max Richtman tells USA TODAY. (February 6, 2025, USA Today, Rex Huppke) |
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Social Security beneficiaries “have every reason to be alarmed,” according to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. “These programs are the lifelines of millions of people and seniors with disabilities throughout the country,” said Dan Adcock, director of government relations and policy at the National Committee. (February 5, 2025, CNBC, Lorie Konish) |
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“Congresswoman Hoyle made the right decision in resigning from the DOGE Caucus. We agree with her assessment that the caucus will operate under the shadow of Elon Musk, who has received unprecedented access to crucial government systems (including those affecting Social Security and Medicare) — and, equally alarmingly, to Americans’ personal data,” NCPSSM president Max Richtman said in a statement. (February 7, 2025, www.ncpssm.org, Press Release) |
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“Helping older people is a bipartisan issue — and the Aging Committee has a history of addressing the challenges that seniors face. The work that the Senate Aging Committee does is especially critical today, with 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, and given the uncertainty about the future of critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,” says Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. (February 3, 2025, Rhode Island News, Herb Weiss) |
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Representatives of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have been working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where they were granted access to agency systems and technology, CMS said on February 5. (February 5, 2025, Reuters) |
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Member contributions to the National Committee, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization, are not tax-deductible. |
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